


Just a Lincoln

by funfnebulla



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Idiots in Love, kellex - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23863534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funfnebulla/pseuds/funfnebulla
Summary: What can a singular five dollar bill do? Kelley and Alex sure think it can do a whole lot
Relationships: Alex Morgan/Kelley O'Hara
Comments: 7
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

**August 2006**

“When you said you were going to come up with a fun plan for my birthday, I’d assumed you meant actual fun – not going to some museum,” Kelley sighed as she walked along the busy Chicago street beside the girl she’d quickly become friends with since their freshman season.

“Learning something new never hurt anyone, Kelley,” Alex stated as she scanned the map pulled up on her phone. “Besides, we’ve only just begun! Next is the Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum, and I heard Serv talking about a vegetarian museum downtown somewhere.”

Kelley could not roll her eyes enough as she stuffed her hands into the front pockets of her jean jacket. Servando Carrasco. Alex just wouldn’t stop talking about her freaking neighbor from back home. ‘He’s so tan!’ ‘He’s got a fancy car.’ ‘He’s so charming.’ Kelley had only met the guy once, after being forced to go to a UCLA men’s soccer game. But he wasn’t all that great, especially considering Stanford beat them 2-1 while he rode the bench.

Besides, who gave two shits about a fancy car when you could have a beat-up old Jeep? Her best friend, Tobin, and her had saved up and split the perfect beach car together. Their surfboards were constantly adorned on top, and sand had been caked in to the crevasses, perfect for weekend surf trips. But Kelley didn’t hear Alex fawning over it like she did about Serv’s stupid new BMW.

“Oh! Will you hold this?” Alex said, thrusting her phone in Kelley’s hands, as she begun to unzip the small fanny pack around her hips, tongue peaking between her teeth as she fumbled with the contents.

Kelley struggled to catch the phone before it tipped out of reach and hit the ground. She felt it barely glance in to her palm as she scarcely avoided a collision with a business woman with bright pink hair in a three-piece pant suit who has talking rather loudly to someone named Sue. “Jeez-o-pete, Al, what in the world are you—”

“I want a sprinkled donut,” Alex stated matter of factly, as she looked up from where she’d begun digging in her fanny pack before she gestured towards the street cart across the street to their left.

“Are you out of your mind?” Kelley groaned, “You almost lost our map – our only way around this city – and your freaking phone…for a donut?”

“Stop being so dramatic, Kells.” Alex fished out a couple dollars from her purse, quickly counting them before she glanced up. “Besides, you’re the adventurer who promised coach we’d be back in one piece, we’d have figured out a way back to the hotel eventually.”

“Fine, just hurry,” she said, tucking Alex’s phone in to her pocket. She watched her from the corner of her eye as Alex crossed the busy street, making sure she got their safely. Coach would never let her hear the end of it if she not only got them lost but also brought back an injured Alex all in an attempt to procure a strictly forbidden food.

“Hey!! Buy me one too!” She called out just as Alex reached the other side of the street. “Chocolate!” In for a penny in for a pound she figured.

Alex waved her off and rolled her eyes before turning her back and quickly speaking with the cart owner.

Kelley checked the time briefly before pulling out her own wallet. Players were given some per diem money the night before to cover lunch and anything else they might need before the games coming up that weekend. She wasn’t sure how much the donut would be – their favorite place back in the Bay Area, Bob’s Donut’s, was pretty cheap, but a 5 would be more than enough right?

Shrugging her shoulders, Kelley took out a fresh bill and stuffed it in her back pocket as she waited for Alex to come back their treats.

“Here you go. One Chocolate glaze.” Alex said with a wide grin. In her hand a warm donut glistened with chocolatey drizzle.

Kelley licked her lips before taking the sugary mess from her. “Wow, this looks…amazing” she said with a small hint of surprise. She took a quick lick from the side of her fingers before the chocolate melted down her hand and quickly held out the bill to give to Alex, “Thanks!”

Alex looked at the money in her hand, her brows pinched for a moment before shaking her head, taking a small lick of her own pastry. “Keep it. Consider it my treat.”

“Wait, what? No way,” Kelley insisted, thrusting the bill towards Alex, “I’m supposed to pay for these kinds of things.”

“Just because you’re technically older than me, doesn’t mean a _friend_ can’t buy their _friend_ a treat for their birthday,” Alex said crossly as she began to walk down the sidewalk, hair billowing behind her. “Besides, you’re not _my_ person – you’re just…Kelley.”

Something close to disappointment sprouted in her chest, but Kelley didn’t allow herself to linger on that feeling for too long. Lengthening her stride to catch up to Alex, Kelley made sure to work on her donut. “I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but seriously, take the money Alex. I’m not making you pay for my food.”

“Too late, already did,” she triumphantly said, while attempting, rather unsuccessfully, to hide her smirk.

She was frustratingly stubborn, sometimes irritatingly so, but it was moments like these that reminded Kelley of why they’d become such good friends in the first place. Alex wasn’t interested in friendship because of her skill on the field; in fact, when they first met, Alex pretended to not know who Kelley was, despite her stint with the U-16 and U-17 teams.

Alex was a bright spot in her life and wanted to be Kelley’s friend because she actually enjoyed her company, not because she had something to gain from it.

As they approached a stop light, Kelley curled the five-dollar bill into a small ball in her hand. “Alright…fine,” she conceded before taking the last bite of her delicious snack. “But you’ll let me buy lunch later?”

“As _if_ , Kelley O’Hara. It’s your birthday gift, remember?” Alex sighed, shaking her head at the ridiculous question. “Just be grateful I like you enough to drag you around Chicago with me on our day off.”

“Oh man…I’m _so_ lucky,” Kelley teased before leaning in to nudge their shoulders together. Her hand holding the note moved quickly, slipping the balled-up bill into the front pocket of Alex’s sweater, and she held her breath, praying she wouldn’t notice the quick exchange of currency. She knew Alex would never willingly take the money, and would likely be furious when she found it, but she couldn’t not pay her…after all isn’t that what you were supposed to do?

**October 2007**

“Can you believe the audacity Coach Ratcliffe must have? Making us practice on our one weekend off.” Allie complained through a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.

Fall had taken over the Stanford campus, chilling the air to the point of turning poor Alex’s nose slightly pink. She loved the fall – the upcoming winter and the warmth from a good beach bonfire! And the sweaters!! Finally, she could comfortably wear the pants and sweaters she so loved.

Pulling her own vegan cookie she’d just purchased from her lips, she shot a conspiratorial glance towards Kelley who walked just to her left before she turned her head to the right towards Allie. “Do you even know what that word means, Allie?”

“Of course, I do,” Allie scoffed before popping the last bit of cookie in her mouth, chewing on the sweet noisily before licking the last lingering bits of chocolatey goodness from her fingers.

“Yeah?” Kelley piped up, adjusting the crimson beanie on her head so that the Stanford tree was front and center. “Define it then Miss Long.”

“Define it?” Allie repeated, eyes narrowing at Kelley. “It means…you know…like how dare he do that – you know what I mean?” Her voice trailed off, eyes widening a bit as she lifted her hand to make a small waving motion in front of her, as if to imply they could fill in the rest.

“No, I don’t. That’s why I asked you to define it,” Kelley said blankly, doing her best to keep her poker face strong as she cocked a brow at the blonde.

“Oh, come on,” Allie groaned, her head lifting to drag down the side of her face with an exasperated sigh.

It was only when Allie set her shoulders, preparing to use every tool in her arsenal to try and explain herself to Kelley and Alex that Alex broke the ruse and was the first to fall into a fit of full-blown laughter.

“Oh, fuck you both,” Allie said, reaching behind Alex to give Kelley a firm shove. “You two are the freaking worst, you know that?”

“I’ve told you not to use words you can’t define or spell before, Allie. It’s just common sense,” Alex teased as she lifted her hand to clear away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.

“Okay,” started Allie, “but let me tell you a joke. What does Y-E-S spell…”

Prior to Stanford, friendship hadn’t always been the easiest for Alex. Her other classmates always saw her hard work and dedication on and off the field as being lame. But the friendship she had built over the past two years with the soccer team had lifted Alex to new heights. Allie and Kelley were almost always the high points of her day, they constantly looked out for her, and pushed her to enjoy her life and the game they all loved.

Kelley stumbled away from Allie’s shove, drifting in to the middle of walkway, almost colliding with a group of volleyball players who scattered to avoid her.

“Sorry, ladies,” Kelley said, flashing that award-winning smile Alex knew all too well by now. When Kelley spun around, walking backwards as she eyed and waved at the group, Alex simply rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the flutter of jealousy that bloomed to life in the pit of her stomach.

“Alright, Casanova. Come along.” Alex called over her shoulder, lips pursing at the corners of mouth as the moved further into town. “You two still owe me a stop at the Nike Store.”

“Ugh! Seriously? Alex we just went there three weeks ago.” Allie groaned, stuffing her hands into the front pocket of her hoodie. “What on earth could you possibly need from there again?”

“Well, I’d like to look for a new pair of running shorts, I need more pink prewrap, some new cleats for the championship game—"

“That’s not for another 6 weeks or so! The team also provides us all that stuff!!” Allie sighed dramatically, her head tipping back.

“Which really doesn’t leave much time if I’m hoping to break them in before then,” Alex chuckled, ignoring the way Allie’s feet seemed to drag across the leaf covered ground. “Besides, we went in to that dreadful surf shop for Kelley, and that jewelry boutique you love so much – you both _owe_ me.”

“It’ll be alright, Allie.” Kelley double stepped to catch up to them, slinging her arm around her taller friend. “We can just go ask where all the nonexistent women’s soccer merch is.”

“I swear to NCAA Tournament, if you two get me banned from the Nike store…”

“I’ll be fiiiiinnne, Al. They won’t kick us out…at least not forever,” Kelley said with a tooth grin before she withdrew her arm from around Allie, who seemed to find the silver-lining she presented as an acceptable us of time while visiting the sports store.

Kelley quickly fell into step between them, and try as she might, Alex couldn’t pretend to ignore the way her hand would brush against Kelley’s as they moved. It was accidental – it had to be, but there was an almost triumphant smugness that built inside her every time their closeness would catch the eye of a various girl who’d stared to fawn over the star forward since the beginning of the past year.

She was friends with Kelley before the star became such a hot commodity, and while she wasn’t even sure why it bothered her so much, every time she walked into literally any building on campus and had to hear another conversation about how fit Kells looked in her uniform, Alex felt one step closer to snapping at all of them.

“Want a piece of gum, Al?”

Kelley’s question pulled her thoughts back to the present and away from how fit her best friend had become of the past seasons and she glanced to her hand which was already extended with the foil wrapped piece. “Oh, sure. Thanks, Kelley.” Reaching over she took the gum from her, her fingers brushing against Kelley’s and as she pulled back, she flashed her a small smile as her cheeks tinted from their accidental touch.

“Heyyyy, what about me?” Allie’s face was suddenly over Kelley’s shoulder as her arm snaked to where their hands touched, and she fumbled to reach in the blue wrapper to retrieve her own piece.

“Jiminy Christmas, I didn’t forget about you. I was just offering one to Janice first!” Kelley laughed, stumbling under the weight of Allie leaning on her, but instead of focusing on Allie, Kelley’s eyes remained glued to Alex, watching intently as she began to unwrap her piece of chewing gum.

Alex bit her bottom lip, telling herself Kelley’s stare meant nothing, but it was hard to tell that to the butterflies that rampaged in her stomach, and when she finally broke her gaze to look down at the gum that she’d unwrapped, the butterflies fell like a lead weight into the pit of her belly. Instead of the bright pink gum, a carefully folded five-dollar bill sat inside the foil wrapper – the very same five dollar bill that they’d spent the better part of a year sneaking back and forth.

Of course.

Of course, Kelley wasn’t looking at her like _that_. She’d given her the note back! Because that made more sense than her actually feeling the same about her – because, of _fucking course_.

She wadded up the foil, an incredulous laugh bubbling up her throat and slipping from her lips as she unfolded the note to reveal the crinkled image of President Lincoln with the faded bright blue mustache Kelley had given him three months prior and she looked up at her, “You’re such an idiot. I can’t even believe you did this.”

“Yes!” Kelley thrust her first into the air triumphantly and she slipped out from under Allie’s arm to dance ahead of them, ready to celebrate her victor. “I’ve literally been offering you gum for weeks – _weeks,_ and it finally fucking happened.”

Allie’s brows nearly met in the middle of her forehead as she looked between the two, already noisily snapping on her gum. “Wait a second…is this that stupid thing you two’ve been doing since last year?”

“First off, not stupid,” Kelley said as she pulled out a stick of gum and she held it out to Alex with a too wide grin before shoving the pack in her jacket pocket. “Second, yes. And I’ve finally got her back!”

“You tricked me, it totally doesn’t count!” Alex defended as she stuffed the note into her pocket before snatching the actual piece of chewing gum from Kelley’s fingers. She quickly unwrapped it before popping it in her mouth as she narrowed her eyes on Kelley. “I’m just going to give it back to you, you know?”

“It absolutely counts!” Kelley said, laughing as she brushed past her with a new sense of energy in her step. “And you’d better not! It’s like I told you before. I’m supposed to – “

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Kelley Maureen O’Hara.” Alex cut her off with a lift of her hand and a hard look over her shoulder before she climbed the steps to Nike. “It’s like I told you before; you’re my friend, not my girlfriend – you’re just Kelley.” Even as the words slipped from her tongue, Alex wasn’t sure for whose benefit she was reciting it for at this point.

“Whatever you say, Lex.” Kelley replied back, a sing-song quality to her voice that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and the butterflies in her stomach flutter to life once more.

Alex yanked the door to the Nike Store open, the jingle of the alarm alerting the bored shopkeeper to their entrance. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she moved over the threshold, the heat from the shop warming her cheeks and the tips of her fingers as she repeated a well-used mantra she’d begun reciting internally at the beginning of the year.

_I don’t like Kelley. I don’t like Kelley. I don’t like Kelley._

**December 2007**

This was a terrible idea.

There was no way she’d ever say yes.

Which is precisely why she shouldn’t do it. Better to not embarrass herself. After all, she had a reputation to keep up – it wasn’t exactly stellar at this point, what with turning down Anne after making out with her in the beginning of the year but, well she knew the moment they’d kissed what she felt for her was definitely _not_ what she felt for Alex.

And that’s exactly why she was in the predicament she was in.

Because this ongoing crush she couldn’t quite shake was more than she could stand. Especially after seeing her hold hands with Servando Carrasco during last month’s Thanksgiving holiday.

Fucking Carrasco. With his good hair, and extensive knowledge about her childhood – who the fuck did he think he was trying to swoop in and steal Alex away. Didn’t he know she wasn’t on the market? Kelley thought she’d made it abundantly clear over the years to any boys that approached that Alex was decidedly _not_ available.

Yes, she _technically_ wasn’t hers – but she wasn’t not hers either.

They were best friends, and by proxy that give her some sort of say in who she dated – right?

Probably not, but still, it sounded plausible, especially now.

“Kelley, are you alright?”

Her eyes flashed up from the note she’d folded and refolded at least twenty times before leaving her dorm room that very morning. “What?” Her brow furrowed, thin brown brows meeting in the middle of her forehead as she looked across the bench at the women in question.

Alex had dragged her to the stadium – no surprise there – during their free period, saying she wanted to work in the player’s lounge on a finals essay. Kelley was perfectly happy with the bare minimum on her own essay she’d finished earlier in the week but didn’t have the heart to tell Alex she didn’t really revise her work when they came to these study sessions. She usually pretended and wrote out soccer formations, or sometimes drew little sketches of the beach.

Could she work harder? Absolutely. She loved school and enjoyed learning almost more than anything. It was one of the reasons Stanford was such an easy choice. But soccer and her own mental/emotional wellbeing took up enough time.

Also, it wasn’t like Shakespearean Lit, or Linear Algebra were going to be coming up often in the professional world of soccer. And so, with that line of thought, Kelley was happy to coast through most of her classes, meeting the requirements to graduate and keep her on her projected career path.

“You just...you look like you’re about to be sick.” Alex said, laying her books on the worn table in front of her. She began to look around, “Coach would be pissed if you vomit in here.”

“Lex, I’m fine,” Kelley breathed, laying the note on the table before her hand rose to ruffle through her messy hair, beginning to fix it in to a bun. “I mean…at least I think I’m fine.”

“Oh geez, Kelley,” Alex winced. Placing her laptop on the table and digging out the rest of her materials. “I told you and Tobin to not spend so much time surfing this morning. I know it’s your favorite, and the waves might have been good today, but the water was just too cold to be spending so much time out there – “

Kelley watched her retrieve her color-coded planner and then pull out the bag with the 25 some colored pens and pencils that categorized her busy schedule.

“ – with as busy as we are, you can’t take the chance of catching a cold, or getting sick. Especially with the natty coming up.”

Kelley laughed, watching as Alex nudged the large bag of pencils across the table towards her, hoping to get Kelley to in some way organize herself. “It’s not – I swear I’m not going to get sick Lex…at least not like that.”

Alex pursed her lips together slowly crossing her arms over her chest as she tapped her hand against her arm, blue eyes flickering across her face in assessment. “You still don’t look well…”

“Yeah, well…fuck it. Here.” Kelley picked up the note and she tossed it across the table towards her before pushing the pencils away, allowing her to see across the table.

“Ah!” Alex’s hands lifted in her failed attempt to catch the paper, but instead it slipped off the corner of the table and onto the floor. Bending low, she disappeared beneath the desk to retrieve it with a small huff. “Really Kelley? I’m not some beer pong goddess like you, I can’t just be catching small balls.”

“Sorry.” Kelley grimaced, her hands winding nervously together in front of her. That really ought to make Alex interested in her – because every woman wants a sickly faced girl who assaults them with paper products.

As she unfolded the paper, Kelley’s heart began to race. Each motion may have only taken seconds, but it felt like an eternity and she watched as the five-dollar bill they’d been exchanging for the last two years fluttered to the table before her.

“Are you freaking kidding me? You did all this so you could – “ Alex’s words cut off as she picked up the crinkled note. Her eyes went wide, and Kelley couldn’t tell if it was the good kind of surprise or the bad kind. But all she knew for certain was she could clearly read the red inked words she’d scrawled on the currency two weeks ago when she’d come up with this incredibly foolish plan.

“Oh…”

Kelley’s tongue swept across her suddenly very dry lips, and she gulped to rid herself of the lump rapidly forming in her throat.

“ _Oh_ …”

“You…you already said that,” Kelley breathed, the stamped of elephants that had suddenly appeared in her stomach began to kick up the dinner she’d eaten and suddenly she wondered if she couldn’t hide amongst the lockers.

“Kelley I…Kelley, this – “

“Look, it’s okay! It’s stupid, it’s nothing. I shouldn’t have even asked,” Kelley rushed out, her heart fracturing as she rose from the bench, knees knocking loudly against the table, sending a jolt of pain radiating down her legs. “Ow! Fuck. Okay, I just – eh. I just need this – “ she mumbled as she leaned across the table, intent on snatching the note from Alex’s hand and setting it aflame.

This was stupid.

This was a terrible plan.

Allie and Tobin were fucking _wrong._ Alex very clearly did not feel the same way she did.

“What?? No!” Alex pulled her hands back, curling the note protectively against her chest as she looked up at Kelley, her brows set low on her forehead. “You can’t just take it back!”

“Yes, I can!” Kelley insisted, her left hand dropping to brace herself against the table as she leaned forward, tongue catching between her teeth as she stretched. “Just give it here so I can go back to the dorms and kill – “ but, Kelley stopped as Alex quickly interrupted.

“My answer is yes!”

Kelley froze, hand still outstretched, fingers barely touching the top of Alex’s hand as she slowly, very slowly, lifted her eyes to meet Alex’s gaze. “ _What?_ ”

Alex’s hand curled around the note, crumping the well-worn money in her fist before she pushed up from the bench and she quickly tucked in into her pocket. “Yes…Yes I will go out with you.”

“You…will?”

Alex didn’t bother with a verbal reply but instead moved towards Kelley, an unstoppable force and she an immovable object. Her hand curled around her cheeks, and Kelley suddenly became keenly aware of her sunburns from this morning. But before she could so much as react to her touch, Alex’s lips were on hers and those elephants in her stomach began to riot. Kicking, jumping, and running amuck inside her.

Her lips were soft, just as soft as she remembered from the small cheek pecks she was graced with after big wins, but they paled in comparison to this. Kelley’s hand moved to sink into her dark teases as she slanted her mouth over hers, a smile stretching her lips despite their kiss.

She said yes!

Maybe her friends hadn’t lied.

Or maybe Alex was as daft as she was, but none of it even mattered, because _she said yes!_

The sharp clearing of a throat pulled them apart, and Kelley nearly tripped over her bench as she turned towards the sound to find the pinched face of a very disapproving head coach.

“Sorry Coach.” Alex muttered quickly, her hands already smoothing out the bottom of her sweater and she let her eyes drop to the floor, keeping them off the overly critical coach until the man swept away, muttering something about foolish children under her breath.

Kelley was the first to laugh at his departure and she moved quickly around the table towards Alex. She couldn’t wait, and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her towards herself as she leaned back against the table, nearly flattening Alex’s pencils with her backside.

Alex’s hips slipped between her knees, but they kept a respectable distance from one another. A distance Kelley prayed would disappear over the next few weeks, but she wasn’t keen to press the issue – especially not now. Her hands locked on Alex’s lower back, threading together comfortably as she smiled at her. She said yes. She was _hers!_

No fucking Carrasco, no other men or women talking about how good she might look in her soccer uni. And no freaking dates with anyone but her.

Alex’s hands pressed against Kelley’s chest and she felt her fingers smooth across the cotton of her Stanford hoodie. “Say it again,” she requested before sucking her chapped bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it thoughtfully as she watched Alex’s checks tint pink.

“Say what?”

“That you’ll go out with me.”

Alex’s smile brightened to her eyes, and she took a quick glace down the lockers to where coach’s office was, checking to make sure the coast was clear before she looked back at her. “Yes,” she whispered, blue eyes flickering down to Kelley’s lips as she closed the distance between them. “Yes, I’ll go out with you,” she added for good measure before sealing her mouth over Kelley’s once more.

**January 2009**

Christmas holiday had been busier than Alex had hoped.

What with the disappointing loss in semifinals of the NCAA tournament, and then the whirlwind of shopping and spending time with family, Alex hadn’t had much free time. Let alone time to celebrate the season with Kelley.

Her relationship with Kelley showed no signs of slowing down. When she’d told her yes over a year ago, she wasn’t entirely sure how long they’d last. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in the relationship – quite the opposite actually. She’d just wondered if maybe she wanted it more than Kelley did. Maybe it would put a strain on the team and all of their shared friends. Maybe Kelley would realize Alex wasn’t as great as she might have once thought.

But those few fears were quickly silenced by the time they’d reach the six-month mark and celebrated by spending the night in Kelley’s apartment, holding one another tightly and talking of the future.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t sneak away for Christmas.” Alex glanced at Kelley as they walked side by side down the sidewalk leading up to her home in Diamond Bar. Snow hadn’t happened in years, but the chill of the season still caused them to be bundled up tightly. “I know you’ve been in Georgia, but I was still hoping to talk to you more.”

“It’s okay, mom somehow invited every single relative I didn’t know existed over.” Kelley squeezed Alex’s hand, flashing her that cheeky smile that made her breath hitch in her throat. “I’ve kept busy too.”

“Oh?” Alex lifted a brow, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Doing what exactly?”

“A little of this and that,” Kelley said with an offhand wave. “Homework, trash talking with Tobin…flirting with that cute barista at – ow! Okay okay! I was kidding, geez.” Kelley laughed, releasing her hold on Alex’s hand to loop her arm over her shoulders. “I did do some homework, but I’ve mainly been lounging around the house, eating far too much sugar and waiting for you finally tell me when I could take you out on another date.”

Alex leaned her head against her shoulder, her arm looping around her waist as she tucked her hand into Kelley’s warm jacket pocket to keep the frost off her already cold fingers. “You should have called me sooner, I would have found a sooner time,” she sighed.

“No way, it’s your family’s holiday time…I know how important it is to you.”

It was moments like these, where Kelley said something too foolishly selfless that she was reminded all over again why she fell for her in the first place. It wasn’t her looks, although that didn’t hurt, but rather her heart. So big, and beautiful.

Kelley had had all the potential of growing up to be a grade-a jerk. She was smart, successful, and had an award-winning smile. She was, by all accounts, destined to be a total frat star. But she wasn’t, for the most part. She was so far from selfish and pompous that it was astounding. Kelley was everything she could have ever wanted in a partner, and she was lucky enough to not just have her as that, but also her best friend.

“Did you find the note?” Kelley reached out, pushing open the small gate that blocked the walkway up to her front porch and let Alex out from her hold, so she could slip through before she followed.

Alex snorting, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder before she shook her head as she made her way up her front steps. “Yes – and thank heavens I did and not my Mom. How would you have expected me to explain that being pinned to a pair of my panties in my suitcase?” She said through a small laugh.

“You’re a smartie. I’m sure you would have figured something out,” Kelley teased, and as she reached the top step, pulled her knit hat off and tucked it into the pocket Alex’s hand had been a resident of.

“I don’t know whether to be happy you have such high confidence in my abilities, or disappointed because you and I both how crap I am at lying.” Alex stepped closer to Kelley, her arms winding around her waist once more as she leaned in. Even through the thick layers of their jackets, she could feel the warmth of her skin radiate into her.

“Hmmmm. I’d say go with the first,” Kelley said as her hands lifted to slide into the sides of Alex’s hair, holding them back from her face as she leaned to press a kiss to the tip of her rosy nose. “Because that one’s always true.” Kelley beamed at her, her thumbs sweeping across the high of her cheek almost reverently before she brought her into a slow, burning kiss.

Alex molded her body to hers, letting the familiarity of her tongue sweeping past her lips ignite the fire low in her belly. It would be so easy to sneak her inside and upstairs with her, what with her exhausted parents. They could celebrate their little Christmas dinner date properly, but as badly as she wanted it, she knew the timing wasn’t right.

The last thing she needed was to mess up and have to have the dreaded _yes, I’m sleeping with my girlfriend and yes we’re being careful_ conversation with her parents – and knowing them, they’d likely insist on telling Dan and Karen, who would tell all of their extended family and who only knew it would make their plan of her staying over the Easter holiday exceedingly awkward.

Slowly breaking the kiss, Alex brushed her lips against the corner of Kelley’s mouth sweetly. “Merry Christmas, Worms,” she whispered, her lips still close enough to ghost the other girls.

“Merry Christmas, Janice,” Kelley returned, her hand lifting. Alex could feel Kelley’s body tense with a need she was all too familiar with, and before she could change her mind, she slipped from Kelley’s hold, letting one of her hands slide down the length of her arm and she gave her hand a gentle squeeze before she stepped even further back.

“See you at campus on Monday?” Alex questioned hopefully, her head tilting to the side.

“There is nothing in the world that could stop me.” Kelley said, withdrawing her hat from her pocket, and just as she shook out the crimson hat, preparing to stuff it over her messy bun to keep out the cold, a small rolled up note fell from it, and landed at her feet. “Oh shit, is this – really? Tonight?

Alex’s breath caught in her throat, watching as Kelley bent low to pick up the tightly rolled not. She wasn’t supposed to find it yet! She was supposed to wait until she got home!! Mothertrucker.

This little game of theirs has been going strong for almost three years now. The back and forth with the same note Kelley gave her that summer of their sophomore year. Allie’s annoyance with their game was limitless, although she was happy to participate when either of them recruited her.

Alex had gotten quite good at sneaking the note into Kelley’s textbooks and into the sheets of her homework, it was an easy way to double check that she was actually doing what she was supposed to.

Kelley, for her part, was rather clever with how she’d return the note to her. She’d tucked it into her sneakers one night after a long make-out session, and she hadn’t found it until the next morning when her foot kept sliding in her shoe. One time, Kelley had gone far enough as to figure out what book Alex would need for an upcoming essay and stuck it in said book before she even checked it out from the library.

The key, of course, was to be unpredictable – catch the other person off guard, and really surprise them. And since the bill had been stuck to her underwear in the bottom of a suitcase for the past two months, she figured tonight would be shocking enough, but Alex had hoped Kelley wouldn’t find it until after she had gone home.

“I have to admit, I was starting to wonder if you’d ever give it up,” Kelley laughed as she untied the small red twine she’d secured around it, and when she finally unrolled the note, her smile faltered. Hazel eyes, with the most beautiful golden speaks widened as she stared at the newest addition to the words they’d penned over the years.

“I..uh…I’m just going to head –“ Alex mumbles as she took decisive steps backward, feeling for her front door. Shit, shit, shit! She needed an out, she needed to give Kelley an opportunity to act like she didn’t see the note – those three little words that held so much freaking meaning.

Kelley looked up, a dumb-struck look still blanking her face but when Alex’s hand finally found the cold metal door knob, Kelley seemed to snap back to reality.

One second she was across from her and the next she was on her, pinning Alex against the door, her lips pressing against hers feverishly, and her hand, with the note, _their_ note, still held between her finders, was at her cheek.

She kissed Alex like never before, pouring every ounce of the universe into that singular moment. Like she was the moon, the stars and the heavens above, and Kelley was a humble servant to their offerings of greatness. She’d only dreamt of being kissed like this, with such reverence that it made her knees buckle and her mind go numb.

Kelley molded herself against her, pushing Alex against the hard wood of her parent’s front door, and she gasped for air once Kelley’s lips finally left hers. But she didn’t wait long before beginning to pepper soft pecks across Alex’s check and brow.

“I love you too,” Kelley breathed against her skin, her lips brushing across her still closed eyelids. “I’ve loved you for so _damn long_.” She spoke the words like a confession, as if she were suddenly free from the weight of it.

Alex’s mind was still fuzzy, trying to catch up to speed from her lack of oxygen, but as she finally cracked open her eyes to look at Kelley, what she saw wasn’t the girl who’d taken her out to dinner earlier, but rather a woman. Just on the cusp of true adulthood, but a woman nonetheless, pouring her heart out to her on her parent’s front porch.

Her heart skipped a beat, and as she lifted her hand to cup Kelley’s cheek, a new warmth filled her. She loved her. She felt the same, and moreover, she’d said she’d felt that way for a while. “Don’t go home,” Alex whispered impulsively, her other hand curling into Kelley’s jacket, afraid she might slip away into the night. “Stay with me…tell me again, say it a million times over.”

Kelley nodded, a slow smile lifting her lips so wide that the corner of her eyes crinkles. “I’m not going anywhere…not tonight, not ever,” she promised as her fingers sunk into Alex’s hair and she angled her head back as she brushed her lips across hers. “I love you, Alex Morgan.”

A shiver ran down Alex’s spine, and all the reasons she’d come up with for her not to stay suddenly seemed so childish. “I love you too, Kelley O’Hara.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for USSF you big fat white nasty smelling fat bitch  
> for real though, run these women their checks

**December 2009**

The elation from the win was short lived. 

You could feel it in the air after the final whistle had blown. The joy and pride of another game won only lasted for about as long as they stayed on the pitch. 

But Alex had to remind herself to enjoy this feeling while it was here. Being on the pitch playing a game she loved, representing a university and institution she adored, with her biggest support group in the stands. And Kelley right beside her. The two forwards met in a giant hug after the full 90 was complete. 

“We did it,” Kelley sighed in relief. “Just one more game. Let’s go win ourselves a ‘ship, Lex.”

Alex couldn’t help but grin and cherish this moment with her girlfriend. “I’m unstoppable with you, Kells. Let’s do this thing.”

However, once they re-entered the locker room, the stress began.

Alex could feel the pressure as if it was a tangible entity in the room. Glancing over to Kelley, noticing the furrowed brow and look of deep concentration as she methodically unlaced her boots and removed the captain armband, she knew she wasn’t the only one struggling with the feeling. 

After a quick shower, and answering of some press questions, the duo boarded the team bus headed back to the hotel. Alex took the window seat as was custom, and Kelley took the isle. While neither would admit to being superstitious, they certainly wouldn’t mess with tradition now. Allie usually sat behind them, with some extremity, usually her head, poked in between the seats trying to join the conversation. 

The younger players amassed themselves in the back, and while she would normally join in their post win festivities, Kelley kept herself seated with Alex. Before the bus even left the stadium, Kelley had rested her head on Alex’s shoulder, and smooshed herself as closely as possible to her seat buddy. 

The season had run as smoothly as anyone could have hoped, Alex, Kelley and Allie tearing up the front line, with a crazy good midfield to lob them the perfect balls. Kelley was tied for a record number of goals that season, Alex in close second, while Allie was leading everyone in the nation in assists. 

But as tournament time had rolled around, the seniors began to feel the clock ticking; they were running out of time to play together. The realization had come to a head at senior night, as both girls head in to their home tunnel for the last time. 

Kelley had taken over the mantle of captain that year, leading the team as best as she knew how. Before every game, as the players were waiting in the tunnel, Alex would come over and tighten the armband around Kelley’s bicep. Inevitably as Alex would walk back to her place, shouts of ‘Mrs. Cap’ and ‘Cap’s Wife’ were tossed around.

But on senior night, Alex and Kelley managed to slip away a little early. They didn’t know, but Allie actually held the rest of the team back for a moment trying to grant her friends their moment of peace. 

The two walked hand in hand, boots clicking against the concrete, thinking of all their memories tied to the team. All the games, both won and lost, that started in that very tunnel.

And as Alex reached up to tighten the armband, hands snuggly around her arm, Kelley pushed her back against the wall and captured her lips in a searing kiss. As if she could transmit all the love and affection she had for Alex through her lips, Kelley gave her the best kiss of her life. Hands quickly tangled in hair and wrapped around waists, desperately trying to get as close as possible. 

Eventually they pulled away, and in that moment, Kelley truly believed Alex was the one for her, nothing else with absolutely anyone in the world could ever compare to this feeling. 

“Come on, Squirrely. Let’s finish this thing – together” Alex whispered as she fixed the armband tightly around Kelley’s arm. 

The players came out shortly after, bringing along cheers and hollers, trying to get excited for their final home game of the year. 

“Hey Mrs. Cap, you might want to straighten your pre-wrap,” Allie pointed to her trademark headband. “It looks a little askew for some reason.”

Now, as the two girls were cuddled in the hotel, Allie already snoring loudly in the other bed, the nerves were fluttering up in both their stomachs. 

Alex quickly flipped over, pushing her back to Kelley’s front, tightly grabbing her arms and holding hands. “I need to be the little spoon right now.”

“I completely understand,” Kelley pulled the girl impossibly closer. “Let me hold you for as long as you need.”

The two woke the following morning in the same position, neither one of them willing to let the other go, even in the middle of sleep. Although Kelley repeatedly reminded Alex her feet were too damn cold. 

As they made their way back to the stadium, Allie played Taylor Swift over the speakers, leading the bus in a ‘Love Story’ sing-a-long. 

But, as soon as the bus pulled in to the stadium the chatter died down. Alex could feel Allie’s leg bouncing in the seat behind her, and Kelley’s own fingers began to fidget. Quickly, she reached behind her seat and held Allie’s hand, while grabbing Kelley’s in the other, providing as much moral and emotional support as she could. 

Once the players had changed, and were warming up, everything began to fall away. Everyone was locked in, ready to perform to the best of her duty, they were hungry to win this one. 

The stands were beginning to fill up as the players filed in to the locker room one more time. 

Pam and Michael were next to Dan and Karen, both sets of parents supporting gigantic fathead cutouts of their daughters. Kelley, upon discovering the cutouts at the semi-finals, had made a mustache sticker for her own face, and tried to stick some devil horns on Alex before being turned away by a very firm glare from Pam, she would never allow herself to disappoint Pam Morgan. Sitting nearby was Tobin, who’s UCLA team got beat out by UNC in the previous match, proudly supporting a Stanford jersey to spite the opposing team.

Alex watched as Kelley double triple checked every single thing she could possibly go over. Laces – double knotted. Shin guards – in. Socks – pulled up. Hair – tied up.

Finally, she went to put on the armband. She looked at it almost reverently before finally slipping it on, playing with it for a second, clearly not feeling exactly right, but moving on to gather up the girls for the final pep talk. 

Kelley began, “It’s just another 90 minutes, ladies. Let’s play strong, not for ourselves, but for the girl next to you. Fight for every ball, challenge every pass, let’s show those Tar Heels what the west coast is about, and bring that trophy home!” By the end, everyone was cheering, ready to play. 

As they stepped in to the tunnel, Alex walked up to Kelley ready to adjust the band, but paused as she was asked, “Hey Lex, could you check to see if there’s some kind of tag in the band, it’s itching like crazy.”

“Look for yourself, you ditz,” Alex laughed.

“What? What are you talking about,” Kelley peaked at the inside of the band, only to find someone, who shall remain nameless, had stuck their five-dollar bill inside the band. “Alex, are you crazy?? I can’t keep this here.”

“I think you’re the crazy one to be clear, not even looking inside when it feels off, you dummy. But good thing I thought of that,” Alex rolled her eyes, “Mom and Dad are going to be right behind our bench, you can hand it to them after the anthem.”

“Don’t think I’ll be forgetting about this Morgan,” Kelley said, narrowing her eyes, “You can’t just try to be so perfect and distracting all the time, I’ll get you back plenty good eventually.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it Cap,” Alex yelled as she trotted back in line. 

After the anthem, Kelley did rush over and jump up the stands to slap the bill on to Alex’s fathead. “Only person I trust out of the lot of ya,” she joked with her family, before hurrying back to the field. 

The bright UNC blue stood out against the Stanford maroon. Both teams itching to start. 

Right before the whistle blew, Kelley made sure to grab Alex’s attention and offer one final wink. 

And then they were off. 

Kelley put them up with a crazy sliding goal in the 5th minute, breaking the record for most goals in a season. You wouldn’t be able to tell though, because after a quick celebration her face was an emotionless mask as the game resumed. 

UNC quickly rebounded with an amazing chip from their star junior forward, Press. 

The intensity somehow only increased afterwards. 

After halftime UNC managed to grab the lead after one of Stanford’s freshman backline miscalculated a pass. Alex quickly grabbed them before they could have a mini breakdown in the middle of the pitch, telling them the team still needed their focus and attention, the game wasn’t over yet. 

As Kelley ran by, she gave the girl a pat on the back in support of her teammate, no matter the situation. 

As time was running out, Kelley gave a volley from the right side, tracking Allie’s tall head through the crowd of girls, and cheered as she headed it absolutely beautifully. Allie then went on to do some weird ass bird flapping celebration, and for a second Kelley had to wonder if Allie’s poor brain was alright. 

The game went chaotically back and forth then on, both teams desperately trying to seal the deal. 

Like a bat out of hell Press managed to flag down a lobbed ball and was sprinting down the field. The only person between her and the goal, was the freshman defender. Rather than panic the girl set her eyes on Press’ feet and tracked her the whole way, pushing the forward outside of the box until reinforcements could come. 

Finally, with 2 minutes remaining, Kelley called for the ball grabbing at least two defenders her way. She quickly made eye contact with Alex and knew this was it, with a feint towards the right side of the box, she chipped the ball over the defenders and could only watch as Lex went to catch it on her left boot and whack the absolute shit out of it with her sweet spot. 

Watching as the ball soared and hit the back of the net was almost a religious experience for both Alex and Kelley. As the stands roared to life, Alex gave her the largest smile, Kelley still swears it could have powered New York for a month, before she was swallowed up by their team.

The final whistle soon blew. Finally. They did it. 

Kelley ran straight towards Alex as the confetti cannons started, jumping in to arms. She pressed her face in to the taller girl’s neck, not caring about the sweat. 

They both fell to the ground as their teammates dogpiled them, Allie’s loud laugh right in their ear. 

“We all did it. Together.”

Once they all finally got up and were headed towards their families, Kelley stopped and went over to meet UNC’s star, Press. 

“You had a hell of game, Press. You should be very proud,” Kelley said as she gave the girl a friendly hug. 

Christen just smiled, “Just happy to give you a run for your money! Thanks for setting that record though – gives me something to beat next year.”

“Aye Pressy, I like you. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other soon,” and with that Kelley ran off to see her people. 

Rushing up to the stands she caught up with Alex and her family, giving out hugs. Alex eyes were leaking with happy tears, and Kelley was quick to help her wipe them off. 

“I see you trusted my fathead more than your own,” Alex pointed out. “Smart call on your part for sure,” she joked, wrapping her arm around Kelley’s shoulders, hip bumping the short girls in jest. 

Allie had managed to get ahold of the cutouts, and was waving them around, everyone laughing at her antics. As calls for pictures and the trophy lifting to happen, Allie kept the heads, posing them alongside the team, saying they needed as much of the ‘Cap Family Magic’ as they could get. 

That following Monday, the school paper’s front page read “Stanford Soccer Brings the Ship Home” with a half page image of everyone wearing the championship hats and shirts. And in the background, you could see a tall blonde girl, giving the biggest soft smile you’ve ever seen, holding two massive cutouts, one sporting a mustache and the other a wrinkled five-dollar bill. 

**January 2010**

Allie had long ago learned her lesson about just walking into either of her two best friends’ rooms. Her eyes had needed at least two rounds of bleach and soap last time she caught Alex shirtless hiding what she could only imagine was an equally naked Kelley. 

So, as she stood in front of Kelley’s hotel room she knocked rather aggressively before alerting the girls to her presence, “What are y’all up to? Put some clothes on and let’s go already.”

She could hear soft voices speaking quickly and shuffling of clothes before the door abruptly opened. 

“I don’t have the slightest clue as to what you might be insinuating, Allie,” Kelley started, but the door was open enough she could see Alex was in the back fixing her dress and fluffing her hair. 

“Sure you don’t, Wormy. Although I would have to say, Alex’s lipstick isn’t really your color,” Allie couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

You’d think they’d be less obvious by now but no, they had to be all over each other all the time. She did have to admit, as the three left the room and Alex and Kelley naturally fell in line, holding hands and brushing shoulders, the two complemented each other well. 

“…and in the area the NWSL draft will be taking place later this afternoon. Collegiate players from across the nation will be gathering to determine their future clubs. All eyes are on Stanford’s golden duo, Alex Morgan and Kelley O’Hara. Both women had a phenomenal stint with their college team and are joined in the prospective first round picks by fellow Stanford Forward, Allie Long…” the radio station of the Uber they’d just slid into prattled on. 

“Excuse me,” Allie broached politely, “do you mind changing the station?”

“Of course, ma’am,” the kind driver said, switching the station.

“Are you all excited?” Allie asked, trying to break the building tension. 

Kelley was busy looking out the window, watching as downtown Raleigh based by, her fingers restlessly drawing some kind of pattern over her own leg, a nervous twitch both other girls had grown accustom to seeing. 

Alex, having been stuck in the middle for some reason, grabbed Kelley’s hand and rubbed her thumb reassuringly across it trying to soothe some of her frayed nerves. 

Allie was used to this side of her friend’s relationship too; while few outside of their families and closest friends new about the couple, Allie got to see them at their most relaxed and comfortable.

Often times the three friends would congregate at one of their apartments to have a movie night with copious amounts of wine. Nothing quite prepared her for seeing Alex absolutely wine drunk sobbing her eyes out at the death of Nemo’s mom, in the first 3 minutes of the movie! Kelley had taken the situation very seriously, whipping away her tears, wrapping her in her arms on the coach and whispering her condolences. When they moved on to Finding Dory, Alex began happy crying at how adorable baby Dory was, only to fall apart once more when she lost her family, once again in the first few minutes of the film. But Kelley was there the whole time, supporting her girlfriend and making sure she got tucked in to bed, tear free. 

Kelley always managed to look out for Alex, being beside her whenever she needed it, but also granting Alex her much appreciated alone time. Allie usually got to hang out with Kells the most then, when Alex was studying, and the two of them just wanted to mess around on the quad.

But Alex looked out for Kelley just as much as Kelley did for her. After the natty this past year, they threw a rager at someone’s house, beer pong tournament a must for their resident Frat Daddy. Of course, Kelley went wild, taking on any and everyone while on her home turf, balls never missing the intended cup. Later in the evening, after finally leaving the table, Kelley noticed some tall football Neanderthal towering over Alex. Rather than rationally approaching and pulling Alex away, Kelley went in swinging, yelling about staying away from her girl. Before Kelley drunkenly let the whole house of strangers know the two were dating, Alex pulled her by the waist out on to the back porch. That’s where Allie found them, lounging on the same reclining pool chair, wrapped up in one another, talking about the stars. 

The two loved each other so much, and Allie was just thankful she got to witness it all start from the very beginning. 

“I’m not sure, Allie, definitely anxious. But I’m just going to enjoy this all with you,” Alex finally replied, just as they pulled up to the center. 

It wasn’t crazy busy, the NWSL while popular, had yet to make a big enough impact to really draw a crowd for the draft day. But nonetheless the girls were all very nicely taken care of, especially Miss. Herman Trophy Winner O’Hara, and Miss. Runner Up Morgan. 

As they were led to their seats to enjoy a lunch before the event officially began, Allie thought she spotted someone she knew at a table to the side

“Look it’s Kelley O’Hara,” A small girl wearing a number 19 Stanford jersey said. Kelley quickly looked over and indicated to her friends she was going to go say hi.

Allie pulled Alex along with her, so that she wasn’t left alone, and walked up the other table. 

“Bati, is that you?” Allie asked, as the man looked up in surprise to see her. The two had gone to high school together, back in the day. 

Apparently Bati was currently with the NWSL as a journalist intern and was at the event to help with any needs as well as trying to get a scoop on the action. 

“It’s so good to see you,” Bati said as he swept Allie up for a big hug, her toes coming off the ground and cheeks blushing. Alex gave her a knowing looking pointing between the two of them questioningly. Allie just quickly shook her head, silently telling her they’d talk about it later. 

“I saw your name on the table layout, and hoped I catch you sometime today,” he said confidently. “I’ve been talking with some of the head coaches and got some insider info I’m sure you’d all be very interested in knowing.”

Both Allie and Alex got the feeling Bati might be overstating what he knew in an effort to get Allie to talk to him longer, but she didn’t need a reason to catch up with her old friend. 

“Wait, we don’t really want to know, the three of us promised we’d stop obsessively checking all the internet mock drafts, and be surprised together,” Allie explained. “But I’d love to catch up afterwards, maybe we can all grab some food together tonight!”

Bati quickly pulled Allie’s phone from her hand, “I’d love that, here let me give you my number.”

Alex’s eyebrows raised at his boldness, before it looked as though she had an epiphany. “Allie, do you mind if I speak with Bati, for just a moment. I can meet you back at the table.”

“Oh…yeah sure, I guess,” Allie answered confused at the request. “Don’t worry Bati,” she said as she gave him a hug goodbye, “Alex only really bites one person.”

As she walked away, Allie gave Alex a quick wink, before she returned to their table to find Kelley picking at her salad. “Everything okay, Kell?”

“Yeah, just not that hungry. I think the nerves are getting to me,” Kelley admitted.

Allie nodded in understanding, “I get it girly, but we’ll find out soon enough. Why don’t you tell me about that little cutie that called you earlier?”

Kelley’s face light up at chance, explaining that the small girls name was Tierna, and she wanted to grow up and be just like Kelley. Her parents apparently had to special order the jersey so that they could match every time the women’s soccer team played. 

“That’s adorable,” Allie squealed, “Tell me you signed the poor girl’s jersey?!”

“Of course I did, her parent’s also took like 3000 pictures of us, I told them I’d send an old pair of cleats their way if they gave me an address.”

Alex, having just gotten back to the table, looking rather smug, asked, “Who’d want your smelly old cleats?”

“Just my number one fan, that’s all,” Kelley said smugly. 

Alex couldn’t help but laugh, “So are you going to tell Pam that she’s been ousted by a 9-year-old, or am I?”

All three girls continued to joke around with one another before Tobin came over to the join them. 

“Did you get her number?” Kelley asked quietly, “I told you she’d say yes dude, you just gotta ask.”

“No, I didn’t ask, we just talked for a while,” Tobin answered, “Her eyes are dreamy bro, I can’t wait for her to go pro soon.”

“Who are you talking to now, Harry,” Allie asked. Tobin went through girls like a bee went through honey. The two soft bros were of course talking about Christen Press, the UNC forward who had caused the Stanford girls all kinds of trouble in December. 

“Her?? Really? She’s just alright,” Alex commented, not willing to admit just how impressed she was with the younger player.

Before the conversation could go any further though, the NWSL commissioner stood up made her opening speech, officially beginning the 2010 Draft. 

A giant clock to the left of the banquet hall began to click down, as the Utah Royals FC were up with the number one pick. Alex slipped her hand into Kelley’s underneath the table, both girls needing the support. 

Finally, after an agonizing 3 minutes, Amanda Duffy came back on stage, “And with the first pick in the first round of the 2010 NWSL College Draft, the Utah Royals Select….Kelley O’Hara from Stanford University.” 

The whole table paused for the briefest of seconds, before jumping up and cheering loudly. There was never a doubt Kelley was going to be drafted but to see her friend, tears in her eyes, flush from excitement, warmed Allie’s heart. Alex had wrapped the shorter forward in a colossal hug, whispering something private in her ear. 

“I knew it, Kells. Fuck yeah,” Allie quickly grabbed the next hug, “Now go, get up there!”

Kelley seemed to hesitate for the shortest of seconds before, with a slight push, she was headed up to the stage. Right before she stepped up, a man she had seen Allie and Alex talking to early handed her a Utah Royals Scarf, winking before congratulating her. 

“Welcome to the league, Kelley” Amanda said, huge smile on her face. “Can’t wait to see you tear up the field like you did at Stanford.”

Kelley laughed, looking slightly out of place on the podium, Allie could see her nerves acting up. From their seats, she quickly motioned for Kelley to put the scarf around her neck. Finally realizing Allie wasn’t motioning for her to hang herself, but rather put the scarf on, she went to do so only to stop. 

Amanda asked her a question, but whatever was on the scarf left Kelley speechless. Looking over to Alex to see if she knew what was up, Allie only saw her smile somehow widen. 

Kelley finally snapped out of it, placed the scarf almost carefully on her shoulders, and answered with a new confidence, “I just want to thank my family, friends and teammates. I wouldn’t be up here if it wasn’t for my parents, and the only reason I’m half as good as I am is because of the tireless hours my teammates spent with me on the pitch practicing. To my friends, you’ve pushed me so hard, constantly telling me I can be more, and I’m finally starting to believe it.”

Kelley may have been talking to all of them, but Allie saw her eyes were tightly locked on Alex’s, never straying from the baby blues she loved. 

“Well thank you so much, Kelley. Utah is lucky to have you,” Amanda said as Kelley was shuffled off to take pictures and be interviewed.

Later that afternoon, the three friends were all corralled together to do a small photo shoot for Stanford. Kelley looked, and both girls were sporting Portland Thorns scarves, Alex having been chosen second, and Allie later in the first draft as some part of an agreed upon trade. They immediately ran right together for a massive hug, causing the photographer to laugh and try to take as many candids as possible. 

Allie felt something papery against her hand, and once they all detangled she pulled Kelley’s scarf off only to realize Alex had managed to convince Bati to secretly pin their old five-dollar bill to the back of the scarf. 

So that was what gave Kelley that confidence boost on stage. Huh. These two losers really did belong together. 

“Oh by the way Allie, you’ve got a date with Bati tonight. It was the only way he’d help me out,” Alex said with the largest smile on her face. “I’d call it a win-win-win for us all.”

The poor camerawoman was stuck with some of the weirdest pictures of the day, not a single one the normal draft day pics she was used to producing.

“Wait – what?? Alex, you didn’t?!” Allie nearly screamed as they left. 

**March 2010**

“So, you’re telling me you chased after not one, but two separate wild pigs after they stole your shorts?” Jeni questioned Kelley, astonished at the revelation.

“Well it had our room keys in it, plus my phone and wallet,” Kelley explained, “We would have been stranded in the middle of the forest, with me sans my pants.”

Alex rolled her eyes, “I told her the natural spring wasn’t a good idea…but noooo, she kept talking about its natural properties and healing abilities.”

The Morgan family were all gathered around a restaurant table, celebrating the evening before the Stanford graduation. Kelley had of course accompanied her, Pam actually invited her before Alex, a point she would never let the taller girl forget. 

The two almost alumnae were regaling the family with their most recent adventure, Spring Break – 2K10 edition. Some of the girls from the soccer team decided to take a cruise to the Bahamas, during the time there they stopped at Pig Beach and ventured in to the mainland. In the process they stumbled upon a naturally occurring hot spring, only to have some of Kelley’s clothes stolen shortly after getting in. 

“If you hadn’t kept a cookie in your pocket, the pigs would have left us alone, Kell.”

“But I needed it, for my afternoon snack,” Kelley replied quickly, as if it was a no brainer.

“I’m just glad you girls had a good time and got back safely,” Michael interjected before the two could get carried away. 

Pam quickly spoke up, “Speaking of staying safe, I know you kids are going to crack out the games later this evening, but I refuse, I repeat I refuse, to spend this evening in the ER because you all don’t know how to play nicely.”

“Mom, we’re all adults here. I think we’ll be fine so long as Alex doesn’t cheat!” Jeri said confidently. 

After dinner the group separated, Pam and Michael going back to the hotel, and the girls all heading to Kelley’s apartment for games. Luckily no hospital visits were necessary, but Alex was going to have some scratch marks on her leg gifted to her by Jeni after discovering the cards up her sleeve. Kelley was lucky to get away with just a single, non-visible, bruise after she tried to separate the sisters. 

The following morning the girls met up with their families in front of the stadium, in their black robes, adorned in cords marking them as athletes, and Alex had a fancy stole indicating her honors status. 

“Oops…let me grab it,” Kelley yelped as the wind blew Alex’s cap clear off her head, and she went running after it. She seemed to lean down for a moment and clean it off before calmly walking back and fixing it on Alex’s head. “Good thing you keep me around huh,” Kelley grinned, putting her arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.

After straightening the uncomfortable, and not in any way cute, cap, Alex glanced down at her girlfriend, “I’m sure my life would be a lot less fun, and l would be quite lonely without you. I’m sure you’d find a way to follow me around though, probably stalkerishly.”

Kelley threw her head back, laughing loudly at the prospect. “For you, darling, I’d be the creepiest peeping tom ever.”

Alex couldn’t help but be amused by her insane significant other, she certainly always managed to bring a smile to her face.

“Come on, dears,” Karen said, squishing them impossibly closer together, “A couple pictures before you have to go get in line.”

The O’Hara and Morgan clans were all co-mingling, joined together to celebrate with their girls. The two families were close, having often inhabited the same stands, cheering the soccer team on through the highs and lows. 

Jerry was unabashedly trying and failing to flirt with Jeri, Kelley had given him a push to do so earlier, if only for the entertainment factor. While opposite, Jeni and Erin were grinning devilishly, surely plotting how to beat the two soccer players in Pictionary later that evening. 

The parental units were all commiserating about the past four years, reminiscing on just having dropped them off what felt like a month ago.

Of course, the day would not be complete without thousands of pictures, both women content to be close to one another and try to keep the day as light and fun as possible with jokes and goofy faces.

“Come on, Janice,” Kelley pulled her hand. “I see Allie, and we should get in our seats. We’ll see you all after the ceremony,” she yelled behind her as she pulled Alex through the crowd to their tall blonde friend. 

The two bobbed and weaved through the loitering hordes of students. “Finally, you two. I almost left without you,” Allie said as she wrapped them both up in a big group hug. “Can you believe we finally made it, I thought for sure I was gunna fail English.”

“That’s cause your word comprehension hasn’t improved since sophomore year. It’s all those headers you’ve been hitting lately.” They all laughed and pulled the hug in even tighter. They truly loved one another and couldn’t believe this chapter of their lives was coming to a close. Four years had never seemed to go so quick. 

As they were beginning to pull away, the band began to play Pomp and Circumstance, indicating it was time to walk forward and take their seats. 

The three meandered to a set of seats the rest of the soccer seniors had reserved, Allie sliding in first, followed by Kelley and finally Alex finished the row. 

The music continued for some time as University officials walked up to the stage and the remaining students found their seats. As the speeches began, Kelley wiggled her fingers into Alex’s own, clasping their hands together and shooting her the cutest smile.

About halfway through the commencement address, Alex looked over to grab Allie and Kelley’s attention to point out someone they knew in the program, only to find both with their eyes closed, nodding off. Kelley was slightly leaning against Allie, while Allie’s head has beginning to tip back as she drifted off. 

She never understood those two and their ability to fall asleep given literally any situation. The scene was quite cute though, so she pulled out her phone and quickly snapped a picture to be used against them at a later time.

Alex began by digging her fingers into Kelley’s side, tickling being one of the most effective manner of waking her up, while simultaneously squeezing Allie’s knee. 

Over the past four years, she had plenty of practice waking these two numbskulls up in all kinds of situations. She often had to get them up after they napped in class, and one time even after they had passed out in the locker room after a grueling practice. 

Allie quickly swatted Alex’s hand away, complaining of a perfectly good nap being ruined, while Kelley gave out a small shriek and shifted away as swiftly as possible. 

The two became coherent just in time to stand up with the rest of their classmates as the class president led them in the turning on their tassels. 

“I don’t even understand what this is supposed to represent,” Allie said quietly. “Like are we all moving them to the left cause we’re democrats or something.”

“Oh my good god, Allie. How did you graduate??” Alex looked over in wonder, “Did you bang your head against the cross bars recently, jeez.”

“I’m just excited, I’m going to pitch my cap as high as I can,” Kelley said in excitement. “Alex you’ve gotta join me, give it a little throw, I’ll make sure to catch it.”

Alex sighed deeply, “Absolutely not, Worms. What if it comes back down and hits us in the head?”

“Well then, we’ll be in the same boat as Miss. Concussion Long, over here.” Kelley joked bumping shoulders with Allie and grinning up at their friend. 

“…you may now move your tassel to left, signifying your evolution from candidate to true graduate….”

“Well there you go, Allie, turns out we’re not all liberals after all.”

“Kelley, if you don’t shut your mouth,” Alex started.

“Why don’t you come make me, Al,” Kelley’s tongue peaked out as she taunted her. 

“Wait, guys. We’re throwing the hats, let’s do this thing,” Allie shouted as she absolutely threw the ever-living shit out of it. There was no way she was going to get the cap back anytime soon, which was cool with her, cause it absolutely ruined her hair.

“Come on, Alex. Please, just a little toss,” Kelley begged, bottom lip protruding trying to convince her. “Think of the memories.”

Alex looked around at all of the smiling faces and conceding, not wanting to miss out. “The smallest throw possible, and it’s not because you convinced me, I changed my mind all by myself.”

Kelley whooped in excitement and took her cap off, waiting for Alex to do the same. Once both caps were in their hands, they smiled to one another and threw them in the air. As they came fluttering back down Alex had to reach out and grab hers, lest it get mixed in with the others. 

Thinking they might have been mixed up, she decided to double check the inside to see if it was hers. She refused to put on some smelly frat bros cap without realizing it. 

Except when she looked, her name wasn’t the only thing inside. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Wait that bill still exists, I swore I thought it’d be damaged by now,” Allie said after peering over Kelley’s shoulder as Alex pulled it out of her cap. 

“Kelley Maureen O’Hara, what would you have done if I had lost the cap?” Alex began, “We could have lost it, all cause you had to win some – “

Before Alex could finish though, Kelley had wrapped her up in the biggest hug, with a huge smile to match. “Cutie, you need to relax, I was watching it the whole time, and Allie knew she might need to reach out her long arms if something bad happened. I’d never lose our bill.”

In the background, Allie did some weird wave like dance with her arms as if that proved her ability to reach out and grab one specific hat out of thousands of look-a-likes. Alex wasn’t convinced something bad couldn’t have happened, but she was hopeless against Kelley’s infectious exuberance and Allie’s interpretative dance. 

In that moment, she wanted to be as happy as her friends, so while everyone else was struggling to find their caps and return to their seats, Alex planted a big wet kiss to Kelley’s cheek and wrapped Allie up in the embrace. “Well ladies, I do believe we have bigger adventures to go on, let’s go already, I’m sure we’ve got 10 bazillion more pictures to take.” 

As they left the stadium, all three knew they were ready to face whatever was coming, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you have any thoughts! As these kind of stories tend to go, I've got lots of ideas for more content, but would love to know if you all want to see anything specific!


	3. Chapter 3

**May 2010**

Life now was certainly different.

While she was enjoying every bit of the freedom her adulthood allowed – she had to admit she missed seeing Alex every day. She’d gotten so used to waking up and being able to kiss her good morning or run off for a quick make-out session before Chemistry that she was taken aback the first time she went three whole days without seeing her. 

But that was life now.

Wake up, off to the stadium, watch tape, physical training, lunch on the way to the gym, back to stretch out, and then finally head home. Her place wasn’t much and was certainly a far cry from her apartment at Stanford near the water, but it was all hers. She didn’t have to share with any roommates – although a lot of them crashed after a wild night out. She’d filled it with random furniture and turned the dusty space into a warm and inviting, albeit sometimes messy, space for her to rest her head.

But the best part of no roommates was that Alex could come visit and stay for as long as she wanted – whenever. Mind you that hadn’t happened with the season gearing up and training camps, but when Kelley first moved in Alex stayed with her for a week as she got settled in. 

Clothes had been optional for the majority of the time. But they were certainly on when they had an epic battle while attempting to paint her bedroom, which led to a lovely splatter effect on her hardwood floors.

After graduation Alex moved into a shared apartment with Allie and Tobin, opting to share the rent with their two friends. Alex was so thankful to have people she knew and cared for with her on the new journey. She was so beyond relieved to know Alex had a support system that could be there for her when she couldn’t. 

Whenever she facetimed Alex, Kelley could hear the apartment was often full of laughter and the shrieks of Allie begging Tobin to put her wet suit in the dryer before she dripped all over the apartment. 

But facetimes were pale comparisons to the real thing, and so both Kelley and Alex were looking forward to this week. 

The season opener – The Utah Royals vs The Portland Thorns. 

Alex was in the process of unpacking at the hotel when she heard a firm knock on the door. “Y’all know you can just come in right,” Alex started as she swung open the door, expecting to see Harry2.

“Oh really? I figured the enemy was to be kept at an arms distance before the big game,” Kelley said with a huge grin as she stared at Alex’s surprised expression.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” Alex said before quickly before pulling Kelley in to the room and wrapping her arms around the shorter woman. 

“You don’t sound too disappointed tho-,” Kelley was cut off as Alex pressed their lips together in a frenzied kiss. The two became lost in the moment, caught up in one another and the feel of once again being in each other’s arms. Kelley quickly put her hands into the back pockets of Alex’s jeans and eliminated any space that was remaining between them. 

It might have only been 6 weeks since they’d last seen one another, but that mattered little. The last 2 months had been beyond stressful, and with both trying to adjust and prove themselves, finally being in the same room again meant the world. 

“Oh sweetheart, what’s this?” Kelley asked quietly as she wiped a tear that had escaped Alex’s eye off her flushed check. 

“It’s just…I really missed you, Kells.” Alex said as she rest her forehead against the other woman. Just being close to Kelley made Alex’s heart feel simultaneously fuller and lighter than it had in weeks. 

“You just missed my dashing good looks, it’s okay you can admit it!” Kelley exclaimed joyously. “I really missed you too Worms, it’s so nice to see you.”

“Are you all unpacked? I can show you around some places if you’d like, I found somewhere that has the best vegan menu ever,” Kelley asked, quickly trying to lighten the mood. 

“As much as I’d love that, I think Allie will be back any second to unpack her own stuff, and then we have afternoon training,” Alex explained. 

“Oh shoot, I totally understand. How about we go out tomorrow night, loser has to pay?” Kelley asked, a wicked gleam in her eye accompanied by a smirk which threatened to stretch across her face. Alex knew that look only appeared when Kelley felt like a challenge. 

“I don’t know, my appetite has been rather large lately, I’m not sure you can afford my taste, Ms. Kelley,” Alex started, “Besides you’ll be pouting throughout dinner after taking this loss.”

Kelley threw her head back, a laugh spilling out of her mouth. “You’ve got a deal, Janice. I hope you brought Michael’s credit card, he’ll understand.” She looked so relaxed and happy Alex couldn’t help but laugh along and wrap her arms around Kelley’s neck.

“I can’t wait. I’ll see you tomorrow, on the pitch! May the best Portland Thorn win.” Alex said swooping in to plant a kiss on her mouth. But neither Kelley nor Alex pulled away, quite content to continue kissing.

“Kelley – come on, I gotta…stop it, I gotta go.” Alex regretfully said after finally, very reluctantly, pulling away.

“Alright superstar. Tomorrow, I can’t wait. You better bring you’re A-game though Lex, I’ve been practicing.” Kelley declared as she pulled away, one final peck gracing Alex’s forehead, before she walked out, winking before quietly shutting the door. 

Despite a thorough practice and workout leaving her rather tired, Alex slept poorly, the nerves causing her to lie awake and make her overthink the upcoming game. It wasn’t until the next morning, boarding the bus and pulling her headphones on that Alex truly locked in. Allie sat to her right, just as nervous, leg bouncing around anxiously.

Without looking, Alex offered her the right earbud, and the two started a new gameday tradition of sharing music. With the sound of Taylor Swift soothing her, Alex started to do her deep breathing exercises and zoned in to what she knew best: soccer. 

Changing and warming up sped by and it wasn’t until Alex was in the locker room listening to the pregame speech that it really hit her. She was about to start her very first professional soccer game. 

Safe to say emotions were running high as she lined up in the tunnel. And then she spotted her, dressed in bright yellow, with gaudy orange cleats, her Kelley. Utah’s warmup jackets were zipped so she couldn’t see her last name on the back, but Alex knew that messy bun anywhere. As she walked by, Alex gave her a nice pat on the butt, and in return she heard Kelley give out a bright laugh and shout of good luck. 

After the anthem, Utah players began to shuck off their jackets, and Alex began to look for the 19 she was so accustomed to seeing. As the players began to line up, she came face to face with a smirking Kelley in a clean number 5 kit. Then the whistle was blown, and before she could even have time to process, Alex was running to get in to position. 

She couldn’t help but be disappointed when the final seconds ticked away, and the whistle was blown. While the game had been exhilarating, the loss still stung. Both teams had played wonderfully, but despite a strong push near the end by Alex the Royals stuck out with a 2-1 win. 

On the sideline, Allie handed Alex a water and gave her a smile only she could pull off after a loss, while Tobin slapped her on the back. The team certainly could be proud of the effort they had made and look forward to a long season of growth. The three grouped into a quick huddle, “Nowhere to go but up, ladies. Let’s go smash the rest of the season,” Allie joked and squeezed the others tightly.

After thanking the refs she began to mill around the pitch, looking for someone very specific. The game had been physical, and sweat alongside some turf were clinging to her, but when she finally tracked down Kelley, she quickly forgot about that and rushed to wrap her in a hug. 

The embrace was warm, tight and everything she needed in that moment. With her head tucked in to Kelley’s neck, she could hear the pounding of her heart and the uneven breathing that followed a long 90 minutes. Despite the slightly ripe smell, Alex knew there was no where she would rather be.

They were doing it; they were living their dream together. They were succeeding in a way not many ever had the chance to do individually let alone alongside their person. She never wanted to forget how incredibly lucky she was. She began to try and ingrain every aspect of this moment in her brain. From Kelley’s warmth radiating in to her, down to the small blister on her right toe; she would never allow herself to forget. 

Kelley began to pull away, but Alex only held on tighter. “Come on cutie, I have something for you,” Kelley whispered in to her ear, unlocking her arms and pulling away further. 

Before Alex even had a chance to ask Kelley was pulling her jersey over her head. Underneath she was sporting a long-sleeved shirt, with her gps tracker strapped over, and there tucked securely in the straps was a small baggie with what looked to be a single, rather marked up, five-dollar bill.

“Kelley is that what I think it is?” Alex questioned almost exasperatedly. 

“If you think it’s my lucky charm, then you are correct,” Kelley answered rather cheekily. “I know 19 used to be my thing, but when I came here I wanted something different,” as she was talking, Kelley began to pull her jersey right side out, “This bill has always brought me…well us good luck, and so I figured it would only do to commemorate that every time I pull on the uniform.”

Alex’s eyes began to water as she realized the true significance of the number change. If they weren’t still on the pitch, she would have kissed Kelley right then and there. 

“And so, while I know it’s not how we usually exchange it, I was hoping you’d trade jerseys with me, like the best friends we are, and you’d take the bill for safekeeping until we see each other next,” Kelley finally finished explaining. 

It took less than half a second before Alex was reaching to take her own jersey off, wiping her eyes in the process. As they traded jerseys, Alex understood it meant so much more, and when she looked in to Kelley’s shimmering eyes she knew she felt the same. 

“Come over here and take a picture with me, you big softy,” Alex finally spoke as she wrapped an arm around the literal love of her life. 

A camera woman clicked away trying to capture the moment. “Besides, looks like you’ll need all the help you can get this season,” joked Kelley. 

And it was then, with arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders, laughing together while holding the jerseys, and for some reason a wrinkly five-dollar bill clasped in Alex’s hand, the photographer thought she perfectly captured the sheer glee these two were emitting. 

**February 2011**

“I’m telling you,” Kelley said exasperatedly as she threw Alex’s massive suitcase in the trunk of the car, “There was no reason to pack everything you own, and the kitchen sink, for this trip.”

Alex just rolled her eyes at her girlfriend, knowing she was exaggerating, “I’m not the one packing four different snow boards for a week-long trip! Do you plan on breaking every board you own??”

“You packed two pairs of skis,” Kelley pointed out, as if she had caught Alex’s hand in the cookie jar.

“Yeah, no shit sherlock. One for me and one for you – you’re ridiculous.”

Kelley couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh yeah, you’re right. But you never know Lex, maybe a board thief will come, I gotta stay prepared,” she quickly climbed in to the driver seat, and turned the heat on high.

The two were gearing up for Alex’s Valentine’s gift to Kelley, a snowboarding destination get away road trip extravaganza. Alex had flown in to Salt Like a week ago, and the women had a low key stay before they had gotten ready.

“I know you’re driving the first leg of this trip, but I can only listen to so much country,” Alex stated firmly.

“Cool cool,” Kelley nodded along, “This playlist is only a couple hours long, just the best hits for you, babe.”

‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ started to filter through the speakers and Alex couldn’t help but groan at the thought of hours upon hours of this. She loved Kelley dearly, but the girl’s choice in music left much to be desired. 

With her southern drawl on high, Kelley couldn’t help but sing along loudly, “Come on Alex, just enjoy it…West Virginia, MOUNTAIN MAMA…”

Peering over at the woman belting out the lyrics as if she herself was from West Virginia, Alex couldn’t stop herself from laughing and joining in. 

As the two continued to drive along, snowy scenery passing by, Kelley quickly reached over to turn on Alex’s seat warmer. “What are you doing?” Alex asked.

“Just warming up my snack,” Kelley laughed loudly at her own joke. 

Shaking her head at the absolute maniac of partner she’d chosen for the rest of her life, she chuckled before leaning over the console and kissing Kelley’s cheek. “You keep me plenty warm already, you goof.”

Intertwining her hand with Kelley’s, Alex leaned back and watched her older woman bop along to the music and marveled at how far they had come. 

One-minute Kelley was hand in hand with her on the pitch at Stanford Stadium, and it felt as though the next day they were apart playing on opposite sides of the nation. It all seemed to go so fast, and her schedule only grew more frantic the further she got in to trainings, camps, and call-ups for the national team. 

The couple had done as best as they could with the cross-country distance. They had never truly lived more than 15 minutes apart. Even during the summer, when they didn’t have to stay on campus, Kelley and Alex would hole up at one of their apartments and spend as much time together as possible. 

So, the distance took time to get used to. They had a set schedule for facetimes, and made sure to talk often, even occasionally sending written letters. Kelley had read some article talking about how reading letters would be romantic plus a fun memento to hold on to; Alex just loved the thought and care Kelley put in to each one – she could tell Kelley forced herself to write neatly and not in her terrible chicken scratch. 

The first season concluded with Kelley cheering Alex on, in the stands beside the Morgan clan all decked out in number 13 jerseys, as the Thorns won the championship. Afterwards Alex slipped her the worn bill, informing Kelley it was her turn to need the extra luck. 

The off season was spent back and forth splitting the two apartments in Salt Lake and Portland. Though the space wasn’t technically hers, Alex had a full set of drawers for some clothing and Kelley bought a second tooth brush to sit beside hers in the chipped mug on the porcelain sink.

Utah had begun to feel more like home now then Portland did. She loved the place, but Allie was always out and about with Bati, even though she wouldn’t confirm it Alex knew the two had been official for a while. And Tobin, god that girl was going to be the death of her, had been spending so much time in North Carolina, helping that Press girl get ready for the draft and checking out the east coast beaches. She was already u-hauling before the two had even been on a date, and Allie and Alex were relentless about the teasing.

Once the season ended, Alex found herself spending the most time with Kelley in Salt Lake City. They found a favorite coffee shop, and even stumbled upon a bakery that had amazing donuts. 

So, when her coach at Portland approached her about the possibility of a trade in the offseason, Alex took some time to really consider the situation. 

While she loved Portland, Kelley was her real home. The possibility of playing on the same team together again was too good to pass up, and the Royals were a strong up and coming team that could allow Alex to step up and perform at an even higher level.

“Babe,” Kelley interrupted her train of thought, “I’m going to pull over and grab some gas, would you like anything from inside?”

“A coffee would be lovely, I’ll pump while you run inside.”

The air was frigid, so Alex wrapped her jacket around tighter as the wind blew right through her. As the gas started to fill the tank, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Seeing Mark Parsons quickly flash up on the caller ID she answered right away. 

“Hey Alex, how are you doing?”

“Just fine coach,” Alex said teeth chattering slightly, “What can I do for you?”

“Well Alex, you know how we talked a little earlier this year about possibly looking at a trade? It looks like we have secured something with Utah to trade you for some of their more experienced defenders as well as a draft pick…”

Coach continued to talk Alex’s mind went blank at the realization that this was actually happening. Trades in the league were of course common, but she hadn’t thought it would work out so soon.

“…so, what do you think? Are you still interested in this, now’s the last chance to back out? We don’t want to lose you without being sure this is what you want.”

Alex looked up as Kelley excited the gas station with a huge smile and a skip in her step, she jumped off the curb, and clipped her heels together trying to make Alex smile. 

“Yeah, let’s do it,” the decision wasn’t all that hard to make, but Kelley had managed to erase all doubts without even saying a word.

Quickly turning her back to the other woman, Alex held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she stopped the pump.

“Alright, I’ll send the papers away. You’ll probably hear from your agent soon with the details of the contract and all that messy stuff,” Coach said. “It won’t be public for another couple days. It was a joy having you around Alex, we couldn’t have done it without you. Take it easy on us when we cross paths next.”

“It was a blast to play for you, Mark,” Alex reassured him. “But I promise, next time we play one another, I’ll score a few just for you.” 

The man laughed at her before quickly excusing himself and hanging up just as Kelley got up to her. 

“You know, once the gas was pumped, you could have gotten back in the car,” Kelley handed her the hot coffee, and snapped the fuel door closed. “No need to turn in to a Janice-popsicle.”

Alex wrapped her fingers around the drink, trying to warm them up, “You’d heat me up, till I turned back to normal though – no need to worry.”

To prove her point, Alex stepped in to Kelley’s open arms, desperately trying to steal the women’s warmth. 

“You can hug me all you want,” Kelley whispered in her ear. “But you still have to drive the final trek,” quickly kissing her cheek before almost skipping around to the passenger side. 

“Ahhhhhh, you hate me,” Alex complained. “At least my ears won’t be bleeding by the time we get there. If I had to listen to one more song by Tim Shelton Underwood Chesney I don’t even know who, I was going to walk to the hotel.”

Kelley laughed and placed her hand on Alex’s thigh, thumb gently rubbing her, “You and I both know your heart was won over by Taylor’s country roots, so no more complaining.”

The drive to the hotel was only another hour or so, but Kelley being Kelley had still managed to fall asleep. Her head was at some horrendous angle, mouth hanging open with a small drop of drool hanging out, Alex couldn’t help but snap a picture to use as black mail should the need arise. 

The flash startled Kelley awake, and as they made their way up to the room she kept grumbling about how her girlfriend was some sleazy paparazzi abusing her trust. 

Their room was huge, with a massive set of windows overlooking a beautiful mountain range they would hopefully be on in the morning. 

“Babe,” Kelley stepped out on the porch. “We have a private jacuzzi!!”

“That’s great love, but if you don’t close that door, and stop letting the warm air outside, you can sleep out there,” Alex said sweetly while taking off her hat and thick outer jacket. 

Kelley, knowing her girlfriend doesn’t joke about the cold, quickly shut the door and began removing her own outerwear and looking around. 

There was a knock on the door, followed by a call of room service. A pleasant looking man wheeled a kart with a box of chocolates, strawberries and champagne in to the room, “Complaints of the establishment, have a wonderful evening ladies.”

Alex grabbed the champagne and began to untwist the top, as Kelley reached for the chocolates from her spot on the bed. The forward popped the top off just as the shorter woman opened the box to find, on top of the chocolates lie an old bill, with some words scribbled in sharpie along the edge.

“Wanna play together again?” Kelley whispered out, as if she was afraid to misinterpret the meaning behind the message. 

Alex peered at the woman who held the bill gently, “So what do you think, cause I already told Mark yes. And I’d look pretty stupid if I called back now.”

“Lex, are you serious?” Kelley finally looked up to Alex, tears in her eyes. “I can’t ask you to do this.”

“Oh sweetie, stop,” Alex quickly put the bottle down and stepped in between Kelley’s legs. “I want to do this. Utah already feels like home, this is our chance.”

Leaning down, Alex pressed their lips together softly, silently promising the sitting woman this was indeed very real.

Kelley’s arms circled around Alex’s waist, and pulled her on to the bed, atop herself. Alex pushed the stray hairs out of Kelley’s face, rubbing her cheeks fondly, staring in to her speckled eyes. 

The two women just looked at one other for a while, Kelley still speechless from the news, and Alex happy to cherish this moment together. 

“We can really do this?” Kelley broke the silence, “We can have it all.”

“Of course, we can,” Alex kissed the edge of Kelley’s mouth. “We can do it all together.”

Kelley rolled them over and began to kiss Alex passionately. As clothes began to be thrown off she carefully set the five-dollar bill that had been resting on the bed, to the night stand.

Alex and Kelley did eventually make their way to the mountain for some skiing, but their first day was spent wrapped up underneath the sheets, tangled together, whispering about plans for the coming year and basking in the knowledge that they would once again be side by side on the pitch, tackling anything that came their way as an unstoppable unit. 

**November 2011**

Their second season in the league was met with unprecedented challenges for both of the young women. 

After moving in to her new apartment, Alex was itching to get on the pitch and prove herself to the team. Kelley was right there alongside her the whole time, introducing her to everyone, and then pushing her to play at her absolute highest caliber. 

They had only played together for one glorious month before Alex sprained her knee badly and had to rest for a large portion of the season. Meanwhile the Royals extremely thin back line collapsed with the loss of their one competent outside back.

While Alex was resting, and rehabilitating at her own apartment, Kelley was scrambling to learn an entirely new side of the ball after the coaching staff decided she would be the best defensive replacement. 

The stress from both situations weighed heavily on the two women’s shoulders. Days were spent furious at the pressures they faced, one racing to recover, the other struggling to learn a new position. Nights were spent cuddled together, trying to ease each other’s worries.

Tensions spiked after Kelley was unable to attend one of Alex’s doctor’s appointments, and of course the news had been bad, Alex had to stay in her boot for longer than anticipated. So, when Kelley went over to Alex’s apartment later that afternoon, Alex didn’t want to see her at all. 

“You weren’t there for me,” Alex had sobbed on the couch. “I needed you today, and you weren’t there.”

Kelley grabbed the taller girl in her arms and tucked Alex’s face in to her neck. “I’m so sorry, love. I thought I could get out of a session sooner. I should have been there.” Tears leaked from her own eyes, splashing on to Alex’s head. 

She had known Kelley was exhausted from all the recent circumstances, but when she pulled away and really looked at her girlfriend, the signs were clear that she was at the end of her own rope. 

The two stayed tucked together for the entirety of the following weekend, neither ready to let go relying heavily on the other to get through it all. 

Things eventually got better after Alex was allowed back in trainings. Kelley got there early to help Alex with her PT sessions, and Alex was more than happy to stay late and help Kelley get some one on one defense time in. 

As the season ended, Kelley starting to get the hang of defensive play, her intensity had always been apparent on the field, but now she got to lead the back line, Alex coming back for the final 2 games, the women got a peak at what the next season would be like. Knock on wood, the Royals might have a shot at the playoffs.

Since the end of their season, the two had been working out together, one on one work was more fun now that Kelley could better defend Alex’s intense left foot.

“It’s your turn to do dinner tonight,” Alex called out as they left the practice field. “I know we have qualifying coming up, but I refuse to have another one of your huge salads tonight.”

Kelley rolled her eyes, but none the less conceded, she’d do anything for the silly woman in front of her. “Fine, I’ll figure something out, meet you back at my place this evening?”

Alex pressed a kiss to the shorter woman’s cheek “It’s a plan, Stan.” 

Later that afternoon, Kelley climbed the stairs to her front door, a white plastic bag with a blue smiley face printed on the side swung precariously from her hooked finger as she fumbled to pull her keys from the inside of her pocket. 

“You chose Mei Wei? Jesus, you’re a literal goddess, Kelley.”

The melodic sound of Alex’s voice pulled Kelley’s eyes away from her coat pocket, and a smile spilled across her lips as she watched Alex push up from where she’d been sitting on the porch.

She was dressed comfortably in a pair of warn out sweats and one Kelley’s old Starr’s Mill sweatshirts. She was stunning, even after seeing her less than an hour ago, Alex still managed to take her breath away. Though, to be fair she could have worn a trash bag and Kelley likely would have found it sexy.

Snatching up her purse from the porch, she brushed her hands along her butt to rid herself of any dirt as she moved to greet Kelley with a small kiss. 

“Figured a little Chinese was in order,” Kelley pulled her close for a quick embrace, enjoying the feeling of Alex in her arms just for a moment. “Got enough leftovers for tomorrow since I know cold chow mein is your favorite.”

“What did I do to deserve you?” Alex sighed playfully, her hand lifting to tuck a stray hair behind Kelley’s ear. 

“I’d say it’s all those years you spent helping me through history, but having that cute butt of yours certainly helped,” Kelley teased with a playful tap against her backside before she leaned in to steal one last kiss before moving to unlock the front door. 

Her laughter filled the apartment, and a blossom of warmth that seemed to permanently turn her insides to much every time Alex was around returned. Gods she loved that laugh, the way it seemed to erase all her troubles and make her forget about the worries of tomorrow. If she could bottle that laugh and sneak a listen every time she felt anxious and upset, she’d never have to worry about anything for the rest of her life. 

Kelley set the boxes of take away on the kitchen countertop, reaching for the suspiciously unwrapped fortune cookies. She watched Alex with a crooked grin as she floated around the room grabbing plates and utensils for their feast, backside facing her.

Even though no one would see, the fact that Alex wore her name across her back sent a thrill of triumph coursing through his veins. She was hers, and had been in every sense of the word, but seeing it did something funny to her brain. They were far from being ready for that step in their relationship, but the hints of wanting her to not just wear her name, but maybe take it as her own tickled the edge of her consciousness. 

“Are you really starting with the cookie?” Alex lifted a brow at her as she adjusted her hair, the loose locks still semi wet from her earlier shower, before she moved over to the couch that sat in front of the large fireplace.

“Why yes, yes I am.” Kelley picked up the broken piece of cookie, popping it in her mouth as she flopped down next to her. “There’s no rule that said I had to wait until after I’ve eaten dinner…besides, I like seeing what I got.” She fished through the cookie pieces, pulling out the small white fortune that had lived inside the cookie until moments ago and she brandished in her direction. 

Leaning over, Alex picked the remaining cookie from Kelley’s hand, rolling her eyes as she settled back against the arm of the couch and set her bare feet in her lap. “You know they’re bull crap, right? Just a couple, less than insightful, words printed on a scrap of paper.”

“Why, yes, Alex. I am aware that fortune cookie manufacturers are not skilled in actual fortune telling,” Kelley shook her head, soft laughter bubbling up her throat as she turned the paper, so she could read her printed fortune. “But it’s all in good fun. Besides, how else am I supposed to know that…’people rely on my dependability’?”

“Ha! Hardly,” Alex snickered.

“Well, that’s not really a fortune, but whatever.” Kelley threw the scrap of paper in the take-out bag. Her hands wound around Alex’s feet, thumbs stroking across her arches as she lifted her brows at her expectantly. “Well, go on. Open yours and let’s see what delightful little nugget you’ve got waiting for you.”

Alex looked down to the cookie in her hands, lips pursed in silent debate. Kelley squeezed her toes, wiggling her feet just slightly in encouragement and it seemed to do the trick. Alex quickly snapped the cookie in half to reveal not a fortune, but a carefully folded five-dollar bill inside.

“Kelley!”

“Whaattttt? How did that get in there?” Kelley said with mock disbelief, her jaw dropping playfully. 

“I can’t believe you,” Alex leaned out to set the cookie on the coffee table, brushing the crumbs off her chest before she pulled her feet from her lap, tucking them underneath her butt as she shifted. “How did you even get that in there?”

“I didn’t do anything, it’s clearly the work of our lovely Chinese restaurant,” Kelley said, lifting her hands towards her. When Alex gave her a suspicious look, the corner of Kelley’s lips lifted in a mischievous grin. “Better open it up and see what your fortune is. I hear it’s bad luck to not read it.”

“Bad luck – I can’t believe you subscribe to that sort of – “

The words died on her tongue as she unfolded the note, blue eyes flicking across the bill. Time had faded the once bright colors, and the inky stains from their previous questions had bled until they blurred into the paper, but Kelley had added a new question to its surface. Brightly scrawled in green ink, just so she couldn't miss it, a question Kelley’d been dying to ask since the moment months ago Alex had said she was coming to Utah. 

_Will you move in with me?_

Except this time, she wasn’t scared. Even if Alex said no, she held no doubt their relationship would be strong. They were still youngish and had plenty of time to build a life together, but not being able to see her all the time was getting rather old – and she very much liked the idea of sharing this little space with her, and yes, maybe even adopting a nice dog.

“So…”

Alex lifted her eyes, a slow grin spreading across her lips and she tossed the well-worn bill on the arm of the couch before she crawled over to her, settling in her lap with her knees on either side of Kelley’s hips as her arms wound around her shoulders. “Are you sure? This is…a big step, Kelley. I’m not exactly the best roommate.”

Kelley hummed, playfully lifting her eyes towards the ceiling as her hands slipped to Alex’s waist, sliding under the elastic waistband of her borrowed sweats to curve around her lacey covered butt. “I mean…now that you mention it, your pile of shoes by the front door is kind of terrible.”

“Kelley!”

“Of course, I’m sure! I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t,” Kelley insisted, eyes boring into hers as she tipped her head back against the couch, letting herself get lost in the endless blue pools of Alex’s eyes. “Does this mean you will?”

Alex sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing lightly on the corner of it before she gave a slow nod. “Yeah…I will,” she agreed.

Kelley let out a small crow of victory as she pulled Alex closer, so her body molded against hers, and tipped her over on the couch, pinning her against the lumpy cushions as their mouths found each other in a needy kiss. 

Cold dinner be damned, she’d just agreed to move in together, and they needed to celebrate.

**Author's Note:**

> I just love these two so much. Lemme know if you have any thoughts!


End file.
